While Patrick was in Manila getting Google-educated, I decided to spend the weekend in Seoul with my good friends Melissa and Melissa. (Yep, that gets confusing sometimes).
Melissa P was taking her LSAT on Sunday, which meant we had Friday night and Saturday to relax and explore a bit while hopefully keeping her nice and calm before the big event.
Shining view of the squid boats off Jeju Island. They fish all night with very bright lights.
Girls on the go! Happy to get away for a couple days.
We were staying right next to the old palace – beautifully lit at night.
Saturday we woke up a stumbled into a little French bakery for breakfast and fresh-from-the-oven chocolate croissants!
We spent most of Saturday very slowly walking from the airbnb apartment we were staying in, to the university where the test would happen. But taking lots of things in on the way.
Exploring Seoul: an art gallery with art from the eyeball guy whose wallpaper always weirded me out in the Walker Art Center bathrooms. Small world!
Spotted! A honeymooning couple. You can tell by the all-matching outfits. Even the shoes.
It must have been a festival day. There was a huge parade of people in traditional costume in front of the palace.
It was a challenge to find the test site, but we were so glad we did it a day early. On Sunday morning we “rescued” another girl who had been looking for more than an hour and was so glad we could help her find it.
After successfully finding our way to the main attraction, we did up the relaxation agenda with several hours of pampering in a jimjilbang (sauna/spa). Some saunas, hot baths, massage, and even a fitness room with the jiggling 1960s “fat burning” machines! Awesome.
On Sunday morning, Melissa C and I escorted Melissa P to her test, rubbed her shoulders, and sent her in with lots of calm/smart wishes. Then we went to Costco. We don’t have one on Jeju, so it’s a big treat to buy familiar, cheap(er), comfort foods like cheese, tortilla chips, cheese, big jars of peanut butter for Patrick, and did I mention cheese? We can get all these things on Jeju, but not in the same flavors, or sizes, or price range.
Then we wandered until Melissa P was done.
New yummy street food find: skinny gimbap rolls (veggies and rice wrapped in seaweed like sushi) then wrapped in very thin scrambled egg. Yum!
After Melissa finished the test, we had to celebrate! We headed to Itaewon, the foreigner district. And found the Rose and Crown. Thought of you, Amanda!
We got yummy Thai lunch, then drinks at a nice pub. Real cider on tap!
Last two stops: take out from a Mexican restaurant for dinner, and take-away pie from the pie shop.
We had stored all our luggage and Costco food in lockers at a subway station, and had to spend 20 solid minutes with our things flung about the station floor as we rearranged to get things home without paying for excess luggage. We looked ridiculous, but managed it!
We got masks on Saturday, but forgot to use them. So we did them on the plane! We didn’t even get that many weird looks. Very disappointing.
Patrick and I enjoyed a post-Seoul dinner back home. Nachos with chips and cheese from Costco and guac from the Mexican place. Perfection!
It was a great way to see a bit more of Seoul, spend great time together, and come home stocked up with some delicious treats.